ruth marshall, cello

Cellist Ruth Marshall is active as an orchestral musician, chamber musician, soloist, and teacher around the United States. Born and raised in Seattle, she began cello and piano studies at age 4. After earning undergraduate degrees in Comparative History of Ideas and Music Theory & History at the University of Washington, she earned a Master of Music and Certificate in Performance from DePaul University. While a graduate student, she was also a member of the Civic Orchestra of Chicago.

Ms. Marshall has been principal cello of the Illinois Symphony Orchestra since 2013. She has been featured on the organization’s “Around the Town” chamber music outreach series, and made her solo debut with the orchestra in the 2017-2018 season, playing Tchaikovsky’s “Variations on a Rococo Theme.” Since 2014, Ms. Marshall has been a member of the Britt Festival Orchestra, playing an annual three-week summer season in Jacksonville, OR. She has played as an associate musician with the Columbus Symphony Orchestra in Ohio, and as a guest musician with the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra, Louisiana Philharmonic Orchestra, Michigan Opera Theater, and Intermountain Opera.

Ms. Marshall made her Carnegie Hall debut in 2016, playing a full recital at Weill Recital Hall with her duo partner, pianist Garret Ross. Performing under the name “Artu Duo,” Ms. Marshall and Mr. Ross have concertized in the United Kingdom and across North America, including two performances on the Dame Myra Hess Memorial Series in Chicago IL, which were broadcast live on WFMT. Upcoming highlights of the 2018-2019 season include debut performances on the Fortuna Concert Series in Fortuna, CA, and the Tuesday Concert Series in Washington DC. Since 2013, Artu Duo has been the ensemble-in-residence at the Apollo Music Festival in Houston MN.

In the 2016-2017 season, Ms. Marshall joined the Mill City String Quartet, which has annually performed a four-concert series across the Minneapolis/St. Paul metropolitan area since its founding in 2007. As 2016-2017 “Class Notes Artists” for Minnesota Public Radio, the quartet traveled to elementary schools outside of the metro area, presenting an original educational program focused on form and emotional meaning in music. A Metropolitan Regional Arts Counsel grant provided the quartet with the opportunity to present each concert of the season to the residents of the Shakopee Women’s Correctional Facility.

Ms. Marshall is a committed and engaged cello teacher. She has been an instructor at Eastern Illinois University, Illinois State University, and DePaul University, and has been on the faculty of the Butler University Strings Scholars Camp, the Illinois Wesleyan University Cello Camp, and the Marrowstone Summer Music Festival. She has given guest master classes at Indiana State University, University of Louisiana, Millikin University, the State University of New York at New Paltz, Montana State University, and the Apollo Music Festival. She currently lives in Bozeman MT with her husband Christopher Freeze, who is the Executive Director of the Bozeman Symphony Orchestra.